deltatahoe

i just sent an email to Sears' Senior Vice President of e-Commerce (his email was on my order confirmation) expressing my concern about how the sale would be handled given it is not Sears selling the product; will be interesting to see what he writes back (if anything).

deltatahoe

the 16 gig page has been taken down, but i managed to check out with the 32 gig version. i give it a really low chance that i end up with a 32 gig pad 2 for $200, but i guess we will find out!

deltatahoe

edit to add: i paid with my mastercard. didn't see the paypal option (nice thinking txcollector -- that would have been even safer)

first off, welcome back

i think most of us here go in stages / cycles regarding our collecting habits. in the end i think it is all about a love for watches and enjoying a watch for what it is -- rep or gen. you've obviously figured out what you like best (at the moment!); time to enjoy some of the amazing new replications that are coming out what seems like every day.

all the best,

deltatahoe

Looks great that PVD looks really nice, is that a PVD movement or a trick of the light . The GS strap sets it up a treat, nice one

it is a PVD 6497 movement i found off ebay

deltatahoe

Any clue about which's the best rep of it?

most agree that the mbw 1665's are the best. add a genuine or clark's crystal and your nato and you've got a very nice watch

good luck with the search

deltatahoe

wanted to share a couple pictures from a project that has been a work in progress since i started collecting reps in 2006!

my pam 111 was the first replica watch that i purchased, and certainly has some sentimental value in that regard. which makes it pretty hard to believe (looking back) that i sent it to rbj in a moment of insanity (the oldtimers around here will understand why) to get PVD coated. nearly six months later i did in fact get my watch back with a fancy PVD coating :phew:

anyways, i recently decided to another turn this one into a real frankenstein with a PVD movement i found off ebay. i had zigmeister service the movement and blue the stainless steel wheels with a torch as well; i ended up putting the watch on a greg stevens crazy horse ii with black stitching, which i think suits it nicely.

one quick pic of the front

and several pictures of the back

ideally i'd really like to have the crystal double AR coated as the final touch to this watch, but i've been too busy to get in on any of the recent AR runs. hopefully i can have it coated sometime soon. now where's chieftang??!

deltatahoe

forgot to answer a couple questions

@nanuq, unfortunately the 1665 comex twin has long since sailed; that is in part why i got the itch to build this one (also had something to do with happening across that dial -- i snapped it up for a song). i would love to be able to do some side by side comex love as well

@6541, no aging to the comex. i like my vintage rolex minty fresh

deltatahoe

thanks for the comments guys

here are the details on the watches (all mods were performed by the one and only zigmeister):

5514 comex

-mbw 5514

-genuine 5513 dial with comex markings added

-relumed hands (without any glow) to match tritium dial

-genuine t-19 superdome

-genuine 702 crown & tube

-genuine fat font insert (ofrei pearl)

-drilled lugholes & genuine springbars

-genuine 93150 bracelet & 580 endlinks

modern bond sub

-noob ceramic sub

-installed better miyota movement

-removed crown guards

-superlumed with BG superluminova

-removed cyclops

-work still to be done: double AR coating on crystal and install DSSD crown

thanks for looking

deltatahoe

so i've been away from the forums for a while (the past 6-8 months have been super busy), but i've bought a watch or two since been gone

here are two of my new favorites (please excuse the crappy iphone pictures) -- something old, something new:

something old: 5514 comex

something new: modern bond sub

i'll spare the details on the watches for now would love to hear what you guys think

deltatahoe

ps, nanuq sorry for poaching the title of one of your old threads -- i thought it was an apt title given the contents...

these have been available for a while -- you can find them on joshua's site. however, with the new 7753 based version available, i doubt you would be able to sell one of these for much.

hope this helps,

deltatahoe

Hey B, long time no see

yeah i've been super busy and unfortunately my time on RWG has suffered the consequences. i check in occasionally; some of the new releases like this AP diver have me drooling

been meaning to write a post to check back in; need to take some pics of a couple new watches

pretty amazing what the factories are putting out these days

deltatahoe

ps, @caruwe fantastic lume job

wow, the modded version looks great. would you mind sharing more about the AR'd cyclops?

thanks in advance,

deltatahoe

this picture in particular is fantastic

deltatahoe

so i've been super busy over the past six months (honestly, for the past year), and haven't had much time to spend on RWG. i've lurked around in the background a bit, but haven't been active in posting or participating in discussions (which to be honest, i've really missed). i'm about to head out on a trip to europe tomorrow for a couple weeks, but wanted to post here and say hello to all the other old-timers before i take off.

i'll try to post some pics of the trip when i get back; i'm hoping i'll be able to get back into the swing of RWG again, as things should settle down a bit when i get back. also, i have several projects i've been working on that i'm excited to post about -- i just need to find the time to take some decent pictures.

all the best,

deltatahoe

hi matt,

first off, welcome to RWG

as for your question re: a decent starter toolkit, this kit from watch bitz has pretty much everything you need to get started.

as others of said, i think you'll find yourself right at home here. be warned -- this hobby is addicting -- you may soon find yourself with a hole in your pocket(book).

all the best,

deltatahoe

ps, as for the big crown -- at 26 you have plenty of years to strive for the big crown one day -- in the meantime, enjoy some of the amazing replications to be found here for a fraction of the cost of their genuine counterparts. i think you'll be shocked at the quality of some of the best reps (even compared to your gens). they are quality watches, and great relative value -- end of story.

i just received my watch today; as others have said, it is a really stunning replication

one question for you guys that have this watch -- does the dial look to be warped at all to you? i can't tell if it is an optical illusion or reality, but it seems like the dial is raised in the middle and lower at the lugs (as if it is warped on the angle of the watch). anybody else feel like this might be the case, or am i losing it??!

thanks in advance,

deltatahoe

i'd vote for the blackbird. it looks great on a black rubber or calf strap (not to mention the brushed bracelet). here's mine on genuine rubber.

with regard to the movement, if it gives you issues, most forum dealers will take care of it post-purchase with a service. i think you know that the b01 isn't going to be a long-term keeper in your collection, whereas the blackbird has enough interesting elements (all brushed case, big date, classic breitling chronograph looks) to provide lasting appeal.

just my $0.02 of course,

deltatahoe

i was thinking by-tor should get the EBEL spot. it's kind of a default pick, as he's the only person talking about them

all in good fun by-tor

deltatahoe

EDIT to add: i think madred7 should get the AP slot

wow, fun post p4gtr, and great pictures -- keep 'em coming. i may just have to do a life in california thread

deltatahoe

wow -- fantastic pictures of this watch -- thanks a bunch unregistered

oddly enough, i finally broke down and ordered this watch over the weekend. i have a brown crocodile hktan strap waiting anxiously for it

after seeing your pictures, i absolutely cannot wait

deltatahoe

EDIT to add: fwiw (take this with a grain of salt, but don't come crying when it happens), my dealer told me these are selling quickly and they could run out of stocks (and as most people know here, hard to know whether a particular watch will be available at a later date)

We all know that Gens never break and come perfect from the box every time.

deltatahoe

you guys are smoking crack! you'll get tired of the concentric circle dial on the fish -- so boring

sorry to introduce another watch to the mix, but i think you should consider the blue dial skyland avenger -- it looks amazing on a genuine blue calf breitling strap.

deltatahoe

congrats B -- how about a picture to show off your handiwork?!

some fresh alaskan pics would be nice -- maybe use the dive extension and strap it on one of your hairy friends to model for you?

deltatahoe

Delta.. you must see them all in LA .. !!

yup, it's pretty crazy. saw this car posted by plaifender above in my neighborhood last week

deltatahoe

beautiful cars lani. that cobra is just

one of the definite benefits of living in LA is the amazing car eye-candy. i've seen two bugatti's on the road in the last month

deltatahoe